shopping

I was looking at Etsy yesterday and came across The Wildlands shop which listed these watercolors, aren’t they beautiful? They are perfect for a child’s bedroom. The colors are vibrant but not overwhelming and they all seem so joyous. And the prices is right! I thought they might brighten your day!

I know I’m not the only one addicted to Pinterest. I think everyone has a secret obsession with it. I have my phone set up to alert me when someone pins my pins and weirdly, this is the most popular pin. Guess there are a lot of baby rooms being painted out there…

Like this:

My daughter is about to turn two and I’ve been trying to figure out what to buy that she will truly love and use and not just another plastic toy that will fill up the toy bin and get played with twice a year.

She is all about being independent so this will allow her to wash her hands all by herself and probably about a million other things like help me prepare food in the kitchen and turn on the lights. I know she will use this multiple times a day for several years.

PS The reviews are great and someone pointed it out it can double as a seat when you run out of chairs and help you reach things on tall shelves!

Isn’t this sweet!? Her lunch bag is too small so a new lunch bag would be a great gift. Again, something she will use and love every single day. Kids get very attached to their lunch bags and I can imagine her carrying this around all day. The design is unique which means other kids in class won’t have the same thing, aka you never take the someone else’s lunch bag home on accident! Very important with kids in daycare.

This may just be my daughter but she loves sunglasses. Living in the desert I’d love it if she wore them every day. I will talk to my eye doctor about the best option for a kid but this seems like a good start. Cute and functional and I believe she’ll wear them all the time.

What is it with Frozen, it has some serious staying power! She loves Frozen and I want her to love her water bottle because it’s so good for her. She’ll use this every day. They have a ton of designs, too.

I got this same thermos for my son (Mickey Mouse design) and it keeps the water nice and cold, is fun for him to pop open, it’s very recognizable and easy to tag with their name so it’s great for daycare. We also tote it around with us in the car to do errands and we need the water to stay cold, again, it’s the desert.

My little junebug is very independent, as I said, and no longer uses a high chair but she can still fall out of the big chair. This seems like it will be a good option to keep her strapped in and still feeling like a big girl. Absolutely necessary and useful every day!

Not all kids like the satin but she loooves it and it comforts her. We have a lot of larger blankets but they are hot for the summer. These little blankets are small and very light and perfect for the (desert) summer and the little elephants are so sweet.

And just to have a toy on the list, I had to go with the classic Chatter Telephone. I think she will love dragging this around and dialing the phone. I like the idea that my kids would be able to recognize the old rotary phone concept.

I could probably go on forever, especially since I haven’t even mentioned any books which she absolutely loves. I’ll come back after a few months and let you know what we get from this list and how she liked it!

I made a bunch of candles last night and they were all hot when I went to bed. When I woke up this morning, this is what I found! They came out great and I can’t wait to dress them up and see if anyone is interested in buying 🙂

One of New Orleans’ greatest qualities is it’s pride. The people who live here believe it’s truly the only place to live. Especially since Katrina, there have been lots of little businesses popping up giving New Orleanians lots of unique products to express their love of the city. Here are a few things I love and any New Orleans fan in your life would love too!

I have named this gift guide #1 because I just know there will be more!

Anything sold by Two Sprouts. This little company was started by two wonderful women who wanted to start a business that would allow them to use their unique skills and also spend more time with their families. Everything they make is adorable and uniquely New Orleans. The ladder with the beads is something special about Mardi Gras which I will be sharing soon.

A second line umbrella is the most wonderful addition to any occasion. They are so festive and fun! They were originally used as part of a funeral procession but have grown in popularity and can be found in just about any New Orleans celebration.

Of course, beignet mix! Anyone who has been to New Orleans has probably had a beignet and, if you are anything like me, had it multiple times. You can use this mix to make it at home!